Anyone ever cured?/More pressure required?

[gasp]

I so didn't mean for this to become a discussion about weight loss. I think by addressing something a possible "troll" even says, we are giving too much attention to it. However, since it has been addressed, I will add my 2 cents.

I could stand to lose some weight, but I don't know if that is possible without correcting sleep apnea.

I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that as we quit breathing or almost quit breathing (hypopneas), our bodies go into fight or flight and cortisol (the stress hormone) is released into our systems. I have had chronic hives overnight for the last 14 years to prove this. Excess Cortisol is one of the reasons that people gain weight around the midsection.

I have been on CPAP therapy for 2 weeks now, and I have already seen a loss of inches in my hips and waist. I don't weigh myself, so I can't speak to how many pounds I may have lost. I have been eating healthy and in proper portion sizes (most of the time! ) for the last 2 years or so, so I haven't changed anything about my eating habits.

I know that my metabolism has sped up by correcting breathing interruptions at night, because I wake up hungry. Before CPAP I might be up two or three hours in the morning before I was even hungry.


Anyway........I read the post of someone recently who, bless their heart, said they had gotten to the point where they couldn't even take a Sunday afternoon nap without their CPAP. I don't want to develop a dependence on CPAP in that respect. I want to be able to camp out for one night in the backyard with my son without having to be attached to a machine. No, I might not get a good night's sleep for that one night, but doing that 3 or 4 times year isn't going to hurt me.

As you noted, cortisol is one of the reasons for increased stomach fat. I found another. I had my doctor test my cortisol levels this year wondering if there was a connection between increasing stomach fat and cortisol as I'd heard. I wish I had a baseline before therapy to compare to. Anyway, they weren't high. It turns out that borderline high blood sugar was the culprit. I now test my blood levels 1 hour after eating and make certain I stay in a range of 100-110. Now my A1C test is 'normal' and the excess stomach fat has disappeared. I'm learning what level of carbs my body handles and eventually won't have to test anymore.

I had apnea even when I was 15% body fat as an athlete and always trying for 12%. I snored and gasped for air, and was fatigued before I even climbed on the saddle. What I could have accomplished with APAP tat that time! The good news is I personally am not under the illusion that if I got my body fat that low again that I could toss the APAP (Reaching for a chocolate covered almond : )

[crossfit]

Suzie,

I appreciate that you don't want to be "dependent" on CPAP. However, it isn't a drug. It is much more like someone who has paralysis needing a wheelchair to get around. Sure, they can get around okay by pulling themselves across the floor but they do it much more efficiently with the chair. Same with glasses, a person who needs glasses to drive is "dependent" on them to be safe when they drive.

We have a handicap. We don't breathe properly when we sleep. To remedy that we have a prosthesis - our cpap machines. I definately use my machine every single time I sleep including naps. It isn't a choice for me. But it isn't "dependence" or addiction in any way, shape, or form. I just value my life enough that I don't want to have apneas and the resultant health issues that arise when I don't sleep with the machine.

[SuzieQ]

gasp- I have read that those with apnea have a higher rate of diabetes. My dad falls in that category. Maybe that accounts for the elevated sugar. That and those chocolate covered almonds!